Murcia: The Department of Agriculture - Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Negros has partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to help farmers in Negros Occidental access a broader market and improve their income.

According to Philippines News Agency, this collaboration was formalized through three separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in line with implementing the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) 2.0 Program. The program aims to empower farmer cooperatives and associations, ensuring that rice farmers gain improved income opportunities, stronger organizational capacity, and wider market access.

The MOUs signing took place at the PhilRice Negros Station in Barangay Cansilayan, Murcia, and was led by PhilRice Negros Branch Director Ommal Abdulkadil, DTI-Negros Occidental Director Lynna Joy Cardinal, and Senior Agrarian Reform Program Officer of DAR-Negros Occidental I-North. In an interview, Cardinal expressed the DTI's renewed commitment to supporting the entrepreneurial development and strengthening income-generating projects of Negrense farmers.

Cardinal highlighted that since 2021, the DTI - Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program has been assisting rice farmers in partnership with DA-PhilRice Negros. The initiative has empowered farmer-communities through improved productivity, business development, and market expansion.

Under the MOU, the DTI will provide support through entrepreneurial training, business consultancy services, and assistance in the registration of intellectual property. This support is envisioned to help farmers make their products market-ready, legally protected, and geared for sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, the DAR has committed to strengthening farmer organizations by providing market linkage opportunities, access to relevant technologies, and technical inputs for developing organizational building course modules. These efforts aim to enhance the capacity of farmer cooperatives and associations.

In a statement, Labrador emphasized the partnership between DAR and PhilRice through the RiceBIS 2.0 Program, designed to bring greater opportunities to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Negros Occidental. With PhilRice providing modern rice technologies and training and DAR supporting farmers through capacity-building and market access, the collaboration aims to help ARBs improve their harvests, earn better incomes, and build stronger, more resilient farming communities.